Au bout de la nuit 2

'STREET KINGS 2: MOTOR CITY': Three Stars (Out of Five)

Sequel to the 2008 dirty cop film 'STREET KINGS', which was directed by David Ayer (who wrote the similar themed films 'TRAINING DAY', 'DARK BLUE' and 'HARSH TIMES'). This one is directed by Chris Fisher (who also directed the crooked cop film 'DIRTY' and another direct to video loose sequel 'S. DARKO') and it's written by Ed Gonzalez and Jeremy Haft. It stars Ray Liotta and Shawn Hatosy and the only returning cast member from the original is Clifton Powell as Sergeant Greene. The film once again deals with police corruption and an investigation into multiple police murders. It's set in Detroit rather than L.A. and is really just a sequel in name only. As far as direct to video sequels go of this nature it's surprisingly entertaining and at least somewhat well made.

Ray Liotta plays veteran police detective Marty Kingston and Shawn Hatosy plays rookie detective Dan Sullivan. When Marty's partner is murdered he's put on assignment to head up the investigation with Sullivan. A series of clues lead to the possibility that the murder was an inside job and a police detective is the culprit. Dan is expecting a child with his young wife and he soon finds his family in danger as well as his faith in the job.

The movie is pretty routine and predictable and there's definitely no big surprises. There's of course nothing groundbreaking or too memorable about the film but it is well made none the less. Hatosy and Liotta are good like always and their characters are relatable and mostly believable. The action scenes are decent and somewhat thrilling and if you like the genre you'll definitely be interested and involved in how it all works out. Nothing great or outstanding but it is an enjoyable and well made cop thriller all the same.

Watch our review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YU_O9yN8W_E

I'm going to keep this short. I don't ever review movies on here I just check the site for reviews and usually if 90% of the people who write bad reviews on a flick then I watch it and 90% of the time enjoy it. I haven't seen a well written review in months.

This is a great cop flick. Yes it's a good cop / corrupt cop flick but it didn't steal any ideas and had a solid cast. The kid from Southland (tv) was very good and believable and Liotta while not in his Goodfellas best of parts was still very believable.

The plot was OK not great and maybe you could guess something but heck you can guess a lot of things now in flicks they all steal the same cliché's. There were some cool moments in this movie. The ending was solid too. The 1st movie was just as expectable in certain parts too. I loved the Keanu one too but I didn't watch this 2nd one expecting him to make an appearance. This isn't Beverly Hills Cop.

To many people expect to much out of small budget direct to DVD flicks. You're asking for to much. If I saw this in the $5 box at Walmart I'd buy it. If you like Southland, The Shield, Law and Order or other cop shows check this out it's worth the watch.

And stop comparing it to the Keanu Reeves version. It wasn't supposed to be a conclusion or part of trilogy it was just the same name in a different city. I wish people would criticize crap like Fast and Furious 5 for being predictable or having the same name but nope...

Check this out it's a good flick.

Sure, this story's been told before. Old wine, new bottle. Corrupt cops, veteran cop partnered with first-year cop, Internal Affairs on their tails, and so on and so forth. Nothing original there. Come to think of it, is anything actually "original" anymore these days?? What was refreshing, at least for me, was the setting. Detroit... Motown, Motor City, 2011. Great, great shots of the city from a wide array of angles, including from across the river in Windsor. Just superb. If you've ever lived in Detroit, or even just visited, then you'll see what I mean, especially compared to the mid-70's, when I lived there. And even if you've never been there, what a pleasant treat to watch an action cop flick that wasn't filmed in the same ol same ol: NY, Chicago, or L.A.

The score was excellent as well, and really set the mood. The acting was solid, and Ray Liotta fans won't be disappointed.

If you've got HD and a decent sound system, allow yourself to sit back and be mesmerized, and never mind the hackneyed plot and predictable storyline.

If you're more into witty dialog, memorable one-liners, suspense, surprise twists, and all that, then by all means, take a pass.

Street Kings was quite a surprise hit with stellar cast, somewhat intriguing story and very good direction. Motor City on the other hand is just mess. Not that it doesn't give any entertainment. It does. Specially if you are admirer of cheesy B-movies or those direct to DVD thrillers. Motor City is prime example how to exploit far superior hit film's success, when only thing that relates those two movies are just the title. It amazes me how they got Ray Liotta on board? Did they kidnap his daughter? Or just blackmailed him? Incoherent plot, bad dialog, cliché ridden plot twists that were all written by ten year old. Ray Liotta was the strongest part of the whole movie, but he seemed totally uninterested and thus uninteresting to watch. Shawn Hatosy isn't half that bad actor than he looks in Motor City. Probably it has to do something with inconsistent character development.

Oh, there's another connection between two films - Clifton Powell is in both of them. But he plays different characters.

Very B category movie, don't waste your time with it, don't expect too much, this movie belongs to trash bin. Lots of people will watch it because they think it has anything to with the Keanu's Street King. Nothing to compare. Storyline has been told a thousand times before. Bad cop, good cop, revenge, nothing new is really added to it. Characters are one dimensional and you don't really care about them. Acting? You wont see that in this movie. Ray's only good movie was the Good Fellas, since then he showed us nothing but bad. The best thing about this movie is the ending, because its over. Too bad, you cant get refund for it.